Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Moser the Sheriff takes on a local club race - wonderful cycling story

If nothing else it proves Moser hasn't stopped riding, or racing, apparently. Or how an impromptu invitation led to one of the cycling legends racing around a park. Great story. 

MOSER GOES TO NEW YORK | NY Velocity - New York bike racing culture, news and events
“Hey Charlie, are you sitting down? Francesco Moser wants to come to the park race on Saturday… and he wants to race…”

That’s how my conversation began with Charlie Issendorf, organizer of the Prospect Park Race series, began.

Just two days prior my wife had taken me to Lunetta, a local Brooklyn restaurant for my birthday; Francesco Moser and his son Carlo were in attendance there promoting their winery, Cantine Moser. Over a delicious meal the guests chatted with the gregarious (and multi-lingual) living legend and his son. Stories were told by the elder Moser in Italian, Spanish and French throughout the evening. As the wine flowed the local amateur racers began their campaign to get “the Sheriff” to attend Saturday’s first race of the spring series in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. “He loves everything related to ‘cyclismo,’” said Marco Moser. “Perhaps he will come to watch.”

“Watch?” we joked. “He is welcome to race!”